REFRIGERANT CHARGE AND AMBIENT TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON THE REFRIGERATION CYCLE OF A SMALL CAPACITY FOOD FREEZER

摘要

An experimental study of a typical small capacity food freezer has been carried out to determine the refrigeration cycle. The temperatures, pressures and electric power of the plant were measured and some thermocouples were also positioned inside the hermetic compressor unit to improve the description of the refrigeration cycle. The cycle was drawn and its peculiarities were pointed out. An experimental sensitivity study concerning two parameters was performed: the refrigerant charge and the ambient temperature. A transient analysis was then performed with and without a thermostat switch. The inside temperatures of the freezer, the electric power consumption and the temperature variations of the refrigerant were analyzed, throughout the cyclic phenomenon.